Education Commons^™

A Phenomenological Study Into How Early Childhood Educators Experience Gamification As An Employee Motivational Tool, Marlene C. Cooper

CUP Ed.D. Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore how early childhood educators (ECE) experience gamification as a motivational tool. The study was grounded in self-efficacy theory and used the transcendental phenomenological methodology to uncover the lived experiences of the participants. The researcher used questionnaires, journals, and interviews to gather data from respondents. The interview utilized open-ended questions to provide respondents the opportunity to give a detailed account of their shared experiences while operating the gamified technology used in their program. Data was collected from 8 ECE teachers working at a private preschool in a mid-Atlantic state. Participant accounts described a …

Cultural Competence: Reflections And Self-Efficacy In A Preservice Teacher-Education Program, Jennifer Fernandez

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore preservice teachers’ sense of confidence working with English Learners, and the ability to transfer that confidence to self-efficacy in cultural competence. Specifically, the study evaluated an infused ESOL endorsement program integrated into a teacher preparation program at a local Florida state college. The qualitative study derived information from retrospective data from past assignments in two ESOL specific courses required for students in two different programs, Elementary Education, and Exceptional Student Education. Additionally, data were analyzed from semi-structured interviews in which five preservice teachers participated.

Findings uncovered four major themes and multiple subthemes. …

Effects Of Primary Grade Literacy Field Experiences On Preservice Teachers' Self-Efficacy: A Causal-Comparative Study, Lauren E. Kirk

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Learning to read is an essential skill, yet many new teachers enter the profession unprepared to be effective literacy teachers. Teacher preparation has been at the forefront of many reforms in education. However, discrepancies still exist in how teachers are prepared to enter the profession. This study investigated preservice teachers’ sense of efficacy for primary literacy instruction by the amount of field experience. The levels of field experience included no/ introductory field experience, reading practicum experience, and clinical teaching experience. Participants were preservice teachers who had been accepted into the educator preparation program at small, private universities in Texas and …

Elementary Pre-Service Teacher Preparedness In Literacy And Mathematics As It Relates To Anxiety And Self-Efficacy, Lamarcia J. Miller

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This study attempted to determine if there is a significant relationship between pre-service teacher preparedness in literacy and mathematics and the levels of anxiety and self-efficacy felt by the pre-service teachers. The research questions are as follows: Is there a significant correlation between the number of college course hours a per-service teacher has taken in literacy and that teacher's teaching anxiety? Is there a significant correlation between the number of college course hours a pre-service teacher has taken in mathematics and that teacher's teaching anxiety? Is there a significant correlation between the anxiety level the pre-service teacher feels in literacy …

The Relationship Between Teacher Experience And Teacher Attitude Toward Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (Adhd), Keisha M. Mchargue

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This study examined the strength and direction of the relationship between teachers’ years of experience and their attitudes toward attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). A correlational design was used with the predictor variable being teachers’ years of experience teaching at a K-12 public school. The criterion variable was teachers’ attitudes toward ADHD. Previous research indicated that students with ADHD perform lower than their typically developing peers, in part, because the behaviors that students with ADHD exhibit are difficult for teachers to manage. The added challenge of teaching students with ADHD has the potential to create negative perceptions toward students with …

Growth Mindset In A Fourth-Grade Class, Sierra Bennett

Masters of Education in Teaching and Learning

In this study the researcher examined growth mindset teaching and its effect on student performance as well as students’ perceptions of their math self-efficacy. The author was a preservice teacher completing her clinical teaching internship in a fourth-grade math and science departmentalized setting. The goal of the study was to implement growth mindset instruction and study its effects on student performance and self efficacy in the subject of mathematics. For this study, the author collected data in the form of pre- and post-surveys, student interviews, and pre- and post-math tests. The students engaged in growth mindset mini lessons throughout the …

Impact Of A Coaching Cycle On Teacher Self-Efficacy, Amanda Becker

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

The purpose of this action research project was to determine the correlation between teacher self-efficacy and engaging in a student-centered coaching cycle with an instructional coach. Data was collected through qualitative responses via an electronic self-efficacy survey from a sample group of four middle school teachers. Analysis of the data collected suggested that engaging with an instructional coach in a coaching cycle increases a teacher’s overall self-efficacy.

Data Diving Into “Noticing Poetry”: An Analysis Of Student Engagement With The “I Notice” Method, Scot Slaby, Jordan Benedict

Journal of Inquiry and Action in Education

This paper explores students’ engagement in reading poems, examining data on their self perceptions of their confidence and competence in reading poems before, during, and after using the “I Notice” methodology as adapted from The Academy of American Poets’ unit plan, “Noticing Poetry” (Slaby, 2017). The data was collected over the course of a month from January 9 through January 30, 2018 and involved five classes of one hundred general English tenth grade students across three teachers’ classrooms at Shanghai American School’s Puxi High School Campus. Data indicates that the “I Notice” method and the “Noticing Poetry” unit and its …

Engaging Adolescent Boys In Classroom Learning: What Teachers Need To Know About Adolescents And The First Years Of Teaching An Elective In A Secondary School, Tiffany Patrice Cook

All Electronic Theses and Dissertations

What are the predominant factors that contribute to adolescent boys’ lack of classroom engagement, and what can teachers do to engage them in the classroom content? This literature review examines motivating and engaging boys in a secondary content area classroom. Itc focus is on several ways in which teachers can make adjustments to increase engagement based on changes that take place in adolescent boys and how these changes affect their classroom engagement. These are broken into six categories: Classroom Management, Students Disposition Toward School, Academic Performance and Expectations, Engagement, Professional Studies, and Motivation.

“How Can He Be So Cruel?” Examining Issues Of Trust In School Improvement Efforts, Jacqueline R. Wettlaufer, Steve Sider

Education Faculty Publications

In this case, a high school vice-principal encounters tension and anger when she rewrites a staff member’s report card comments without his knowledge. The case narrative examines the conflict that arises when, under time constraints and pressures to produce student reports, the vice-principal acts on a decision she believes is ethically correct only to find that she incurs a significant setback with staffing relationships largely due to wavering of trust. The analysis examines how transformational leadership builds self-efficacy in all staff founded on trusting relationships. Professional reflection provides a conduit through which educational leaders can assess their own practice and …

Perceptions Of The Impact Of Quality Professional Development On The Sustainability Of A One-To-One Computing Initiative At The High School Level, Kerry Morrison

Education Dissertations and Projects

It has been said that education is the key to success, and today’s youth are tomorrow’s human resources. This is the 21st century; and students, who will be the human resources of tomorrow, are being prepared for jobs that may not even exist today. Legislators, policy makers, and researchers have encouraged methods to ensure teachers deliver high quality instruction, including requiring that teachers complete specific training, possess a minimum level of content knowledge, and use curriculum materials and professional development resources available from schools and districts (Hill, Blazar, & Lynch, 2015). As a result, teachers need to be exposing students …

Course Taking And Teacher Data-Driven Decision Making Self-Efficacy And Anxiety: A Secondary Analysis, Valerie M. Hamilton

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

An expanding culture of accountability in education has led to an influx in the amount and types of data teachers are expected to collect and use to increase student achievement. Research has identified data-driven decision making (DDDM) as a way for teachers to use educational data to promote more effective instruction and ultimately, to better student outcomes. Despite available data and research that supports the use of DDDM, using it to make instructional decisions is still a struggle for teachers. Therefore, this study looks at the relationship between DDDM-related coursework and teacher self-efficacy and anxiety for DDDM. In theory, DDDM-related …

Increasing Self-Efficacy In Providing Inclusive Practices To Students With Diverse Learning Needs, Teresa K. Nagy

All Capstone Projects

The purpose of this qualitative study was designed to determine if teachers in an elementary school in South Suburban School District in Chicago, Illinois increased their self-efficacy as it relates to serving students with disabilities in their least restrictive environment after receiving professional development. The study began with a historical review of students with disabilities and the current requirements of the Individuals with Disabilities Reauthorization Act of 2004. Educational systems within the United States are required to provide services to students with diverse learning needs in the least restrictive environment. These supports are most commonly referred to as inclusive practices. …

A Multilevel Analysis Of The Impact Of Teachers’ Beliefs And Mathematical Knowledge For Teaching On Students’ Mathematics Achievement, Adem Ekmekci, Danya M. Corkin, Weihua Fan

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

: Teachers’ content knowledge and beliefs about teaching and learning are among the key factors for effective teaching and, in turn, for student achievement-related outcomes. This study explores the extent to which K-8 math teachers’—who teach in high-poverty urban schools—professional background, motivational beliefs, and mathematical knowledge for teaching (MKT) have an impact on students’ math achievement. Hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) results indicated that although students’ prior mathematics achievement was the most determining factor of their subsequent math achievement, teachers’ MKT and holding a bachelor’s degree in mathematics had significant positive effects on students’ math achievement. Results provide support for professional …

Understanding Of Self-Confidence In High School Students, George Ballane

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Students at a private high school in New Jersey exhibited low academic self-confidence as compared to other indicators on the ACT Engage exam. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to gain an understanding of academic self-confidence, academic performance, and learning within a sample of students. This research explored students' and teachers' perceptions of self-confidence and their impact on academic performance. The research was guided by Weiner's attribution and Bandura's self-efficacy theories. The research questions focused on 3 areas: students' and teachers' perceptions of academic self-confidence as factors impacting students' academic performance; and the perceived relationship between academic self-confidence, …